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mauricekofi's reviews
75 reviews
Sakamoto Days, Vol. 4 by Yuto Suzuki
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
NK Jemisin. You. Are simply. The best at what you do. I see now you were a master at your craft from the beginning, only to get better as time passes.
This book will give you everything and more. Love is a weapon and a tool, and a right of respect for all beings. These nuances are portrayed. Corruption is flawed and absolute, while it does not manifest the same across all beings. These nuances are explained. Holiness and depravity are distinct yet subjective, depending on who is considered holy and whoever else is not. That is one of the themes and messages, yet not the only one.
A running subtheme of the flaws, violence, and fallibility of men (and by men, I mean dudes with dickheads and egos). The male species is diverse and vibrant in this story, and yet reflective and why and how women are wary of men. Jemisin does not portray all men in this book as villains, but shines a light into the characteristics and habits in all men, and why distrust is natural with them.
And the reality of women, be they heroes or villains (because the men are the sideshows in this tale, remember. The protagonists and antagonists, the ones who drive the story, are the women after all). Jemisin made sure to portray her main actors to be either complex in their imperfections, or absolute villains in who they are. Nothing that is rooted in apparent assumptions who how women act or are, only that they are deeply human in their decisions and reality. That's not to say this is somehow novel, only that Jemisin writes this truth in a way many (male) authors fail to do so. I say this as a man, aware of my own flaws and imperfections, and I can only marvel and be in awe in the mastery that is NK Jemisin's writing.
She's truly the best at what she does. I'm thankful to exist in a time in human history where I can enjoy her works (may many more come).
This book will give you everything and more. Love is a weapon and a tool, and a right of respect for all beings. These nuances are portrayed. Corruption is flawed and absolute, while it does not manifest the same across all beings. These nuances are explained. Holiness and depravity are distinct yet subjective, depending on who is considered holy and whoever else is not. That is one of the themes and messages, yet not the only one.
A running subtheme of the flaws, violence, and fallibility of men (and by men, I mean dudes with dickheads and egos). The male species is diverse and vibrant in this story, and yet reflective and why and how women are wary of men. Jemisin does not portray all men in this book as villains, but shines a light into the characteristics and habits in all men, and why distrust is natural with them.
And the reality of women, be they heroes or villains (because the men are the sideshows in this tale, remember. The protagonists and antagonists, the ones who drive the story, are the women after all). Jemisin made sure to portray her main actors to be either complex in their imperfections, or absolute villains in who they are. Nothing that is rooted in apparent assumptions who how women act or are, only that they are deeply human in their decisions and reality. That's not to say this is somehow novel, only that Jemisin writes this truth in a way many (male) authors fail to do so. I say this as a man, aware of my own flaws and imperfections, and I can only marvel and be in awe in the mastery that is NK Jemisin's writing.
She's truly the best at what she does. I'm thankful to exist in a time in human history where I can enjoy her works (may many more come).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Finished with my nostalgia run. It ran out.
Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Palmer's second installment in Terra Ignota holds nothing back, as the illusion we had of an perfect peace hard fought despite the flaws of humanity is ripped away to reveal the deep corruption rooted at the heart of the globe's political system. Despite the dystopia that is revealed to be the world of Terra Ignota, this story will have you both hopeful and sad, angry and jubilous. You will in fact experience the seven surrenders set up by Too Like the Lightning, and you will understand why they were necessary. The true players at the Hive game are revealed, and the heroes and martyrs will line up for you to judge them by the time you close the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Transphobia
Sakamoto Days, Vol. 3 by Yuto Suzuki
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sakamoto Days, Vol. 2 by Yuto Suzuki
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Sakamoto Days, Vol. 1 by Yuto Suzuki
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The nostalgia re-read did not disappoint.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was an honestly very good read. I will be honest, the first half doesn't necessarily drive the story, but remains engaging in it's political intrigue and rhetoric, and the necessary world building and clues that lend to when the mystery and action truly begins.
For a good part of the book, you will feel as confused as Mahit, as she attempts to understand the situation(s) she finds herself in without the aid that she was promised she would have. At first, this feels detrimental to the progress of the story, but upon finishing the story it's obvious that it's necessary that we the readers feel just as confused as Mahit does, to understand that truly she can trust very little people around her, nor can she have a full grasp of the situation until she receives her first concrete answers.
But the point of sci-fi stories are to impact an allegory, lesson, and story that informs us the reader of our current moment. Martine accomplishes this task using cultures and lifestyles so unlike our owns, removed by millennia because of European conquest and colonization, only to still impact those central themes in the discussion and progression of the story. The never-ending hunger of empires is something instantly recognizable in this story, and how they encroach on the sovereignty, economies, and cultures of independent nations only trying to survive. To put it plainly: the world you will be thrust in is not America or the West, but an age old empire that deserves to stand tall today, and still flawed by the same ambitions of our empires today. If there is nothing else you take from the story, take that central theme, and see how it extends into every little interaction, thought, action, and word described.
For a good part of the book, you will feel as confused as Mahit, as she attempts to understand the situation(s) she finds herself in without the aid that she was promised she would have. At first, this feels detrimental to the progress of the story, but upon finishing the story it's obvious that it's necessary that we the readers feel just as confused as Mahit does, to understand that truly she can trust very little people around her, nor can she have a full grasp of the situation until she receives her first concrete answers.
But the point of sci-fi stories are to impact an allegory, lesson, and story that informs us the reader of our current moment. Martine accomplishes this task using cultures and lifestyles so unlike our owns, removed by millennia because of European conquest and colonization, only to still impact those central themes in the discussion and progression of the story. The never-ending hunger of empires is something instantly recognizable in this story, and how they encroach on the sovereignty, economies, and cultures of independent nations only trying to survive. To put it plainly: the world you will be thrust in is not America or the West, but an age old empire that deserves to stand tall today, and still flawed by the same ambitions of our empires today. If there is nothing else you take from the story, take that central theme, and see how it extends into every little interaction, thought, action, and word described.
Spy x Family, Vol. 13 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5